


Of Course

by fl00fyfl0wer



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Gender-Neutral My Unit | Byleth, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Marriage Proposal, No Death At All, Not Beta Read, Other, Some Crack, Swearing, ashe x dedue is the main ship here, edelgard hubert and ferdinand only appear once, no sadness either, very little swearing though, well kinda but not thoroughly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 11:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20834816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fl00fyfl0wer/pseuds/fl00fyfl0wer
Summary: Ashe and Dedue are dating.Of course, everyone knows this.Some people think they're married.It's not a big deal, but it makes them flustered.Of course, their friends think this means something, and they decide to have a little fun with it.(aka, blue lions bet on who is gonna propose)





	Of Course

**Author's Note:**

> when i started writing this my only idea was 'blue lions bet on who will propose between ashe and dedue' and i was hoping i could get at least 1000 words. look at how that evolved. never give up on your dreams, kids.

Ashe and Dedue are dating.

Of course, everyone knows this. They’ve been dating since their school days, and their friends are the ones that helped them get together when they were too nervous to admit their feelings to each other.

Now they own a wonderful restaurant together where they serve recipes from Duscur in an attempt to break down the metaphorical walls between Duscur and Fodlan. The restaurant is small but successful and they love owning it together.

There was a little detail that wasn’t really a big deal that many customers have mistaken.

They think Ashe and Dedue are married.

They don’t mind though. It just happens to make them a little flustered before they say they’re only boyfriends. It even flusters Dedue a bit even though he’s generally not one to explicitly show his emotions, especially to people he doesn’t know well.

And of course, their friends think this means something.

  
  


\----

**Blue Best Color Gang**

**Today, 9:57 AM**

  
  


pocket-sized chef: good morning everyone! 

book lesbian: morning ashe!

book lesbian: mercie is busy making pancakes but she says hi too!

chaotic bi: i wish felix made me pancakes

Sword Collector: No

chaotic bi: wow u dont even say good morning first :(

Sword Collector: Good morning. No

chaotic bi: :(((((((

Large chef: Are Dimitri, Ingrid, and Byleth still asleep?

strong independent woman: i’m awake

strong independent woman: dimitri was probably up all night talking to his boyfriend

boar: Claude is not my boyfriend

boar: Felix did you change my name again?

** _boar_ ** ** changed his nickname to ** ** _Blue King_ **

Blue King: Much better

fish fear me: im awake now from all these notifications

pocket-sized chef: sorry byleth!

fish fear me: its ok ashe you never have to apologize

pocket-sized chef: well, it’s a good thing we’re all awake! I wanted to ask if anyone wants to come over on halloween for a party!

chaotic bi: now that sounds fun

chaotic bi: costume party or nah?

Sword Collector: You won’t get me to wear a costume either way

Large chef: You can wear a costume if you like.

Sweet as pie: Me and Annie will wear costumes!

fish fear me: can i bring seteth and flayn?

pocket-sized chef: of course! they’re our friends too! bring whoever you want!

fish fear me: we will be the cutest at the party

book lesbian: sometimes i still find it strange how we befriended my uni professor

chaotic bi: theyre really cool tho ;)

fish fear me: that winky face is suggesting more than i'd appreciate

strong independent woman: sylvain you have a bf and byleth is married

strong independent woman: and has a kid

book lesbian: felix come get your man

Sword Collector: Fucking hell sylvain

chaotic bi: im joking fellas

chaotic bi: forgive me felix?

Sweet as pie: It says he’s offline

Blue King: Sylvain is going to die

book lesbian: f

fish fear me: f

Blue King: F

strong independent woman: f

Large chef: F

pocket-sized chef: f

Sweet as pie: F

chaotic bi: oh no

chaotic bi: i hear him knocking

strong independent woman: you gonna let him in?

chaotic bi: i wouldnt but he has a key

pocket-sized chef: it was nice knowing you sylvain

chaotic bi: if i die my stuff goes to ingrid

strong independent woman: nice

chaotic bi: oh god he unLOCKED THE DOOR I HEAR HIM RUNNING

chaotic bi: HSAJSWJFD

fish fear me: hes dead

pocket-sized chef: well… are we all cool with the idea of the halloween party?

Blue King: Yes I believe so

pocket-sized chef: yay! I know it'll be so much fun!

pocket-sized chef: me and dedue gotta go but we’ll talk to you all later!

book lesbian: have a good day!

  
  


-

  
  


It was a long day of work for Ashe and Dedue, but it was worth it like always. They love having people try the foreign cuisine for the first time or the hundredth time. Seeing the food put smiles on people's faces is one of the best feelings in the world to them, because that means one more person who understands even the smallest bit of Duscur culture.

Like the end of any other day, after closing up for the night Ashe and Dedue head to a little coffee shop close by that’s mostly only opened in the evening and night.

Inside the coffee shop they see familiar faces as they walk up to the counter.

“Hello and welcome to Emperor’s Brews how may I-” The barista stops as she looks up from the mug she was drying. “Oh it’s you guys! How are you?”

“Hi Edelgard!” Ashe says enthusiastically. “We’re good!”

Dedue nods in agreement with Ashe. “How have you been?” He asks.

“Good, good. Same as usual, really. So many meetings throughout the day. I’m always happy to come work here after all that office work.”

Ferdinand, hearing the chatter, turned around from where he was cleaning and waved at the two visitors before turning back to focus on his work. Meanwhile, Hubert walked out from the back room. He spotted Ashe and Dedue, nodded at them in acknowledgement, and continued on.

“Anyone else here yet?” Ashe asked Edelgard.

She shook her head. “Surprisingly, you’re first today. Want your usuals while you wait?”

Ashe and Dedue both nodded. Dedue took his wallet out to pay. It typically didn’t matter which one of them paid, but they liked to take turns anyway.

They chatted with Hubert and Ferdinand while waiting for their drinks since they were the ones making them. It didn’t take very long since they were simple drinks but it was still nice to chat.

Just as their drinks were prepared the door opened and four people piled in.

“Hey, you got here before us!” Annette exclaimed.

Mercedes giggled quietly at her girlfriend’s excitement while looking at the menu. Unlike the rest of them, Mercedes always liked to try new things every time she came to the coffee shop.

Dedue looked toward the other two that walked in. “Ah, Sylvain. You’re alive.”

“Would’ve been too much trouble to kill him,” Felix said with a cold tone despite the small smile on his face.

“Me and Dedue will go sit down while you order,” Ashe said, like a suggestion, before taking a sip of his drink.

The others nodded, so the two of them went to the groups usual spot and took their seats.

Not too long after, Ingrid and Dimitri came along too. Dimitri had brought Claude with him like he has been doing recently.

Byleth wouldn’t be coming to this little meet up. They had to help Seteth and take care of Flayn. The others all understood. That’s how the married life works.

“I wonder,” Ingrid inquired after they had all settled in, “What will all of you be like when you eventually get married?”

Ashe’s face became slightly flushed, but no one seemed to notice it as Dimitri spoke first.

“‘All of you’? Are you not including yourself?” He questioned.

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll get married any time soon, if at all. Besides, all of…” She glanced at Claude, not wanting to embarrass Dimitri in front of him. “Most of you have someone who you might consider getting married to.”

“I don’t think much would change between me and Mercie if we got married,” Annette said with enthusiasm. “We already live together and love each other.” 

Dedue nodded. “I think it would be similar with me and Ashe.”

Ashe’s face got even redder, but luckily once again someone else spoke before anyone could notice. This time it was Sylvain.

“You guys are so lovey-dovey. I wish Felix was like that with me more often. The most he does is hold my hand.”

“I’d rather not embarrass myself,” Felix said sharply. “Plus, what they said wasn’t that lovey-dovey or whatever.”

“Well, what do you think we’ll be like when we get married?”

Felix scoffed. “We’d live together. You’d probably wake me up in the morning with your snoring.” He was no longer looking at Sylvain, but his hand seemed to gravitate closer to his. “Eh, maybe it’d be kinda fun…”

Their hands were now touching, and Sylvain squeezed Felix’s. There was a slight blush on both of their faces.

“Did Felix just… say something sweet?” Dimitri quietly asked.

Ingrid was watching Sylvain and Felix like a proud mother would watch her children. Felix glared in the direction of her and Dimitri. Ashe had to hold back a laugh at how they were all acting.

“I wonder who out of this little group will get married first,” Claude thought out loud. He had been so quiet that some of the others almost forgot he was there.

Ingrid glanced over everyone in their group. “Definitely not Sylvain and Felix,” she said.

“Is that a challenge?” Sylvain had a determined look in his eyes.

Felix sighed at his boyfriends stupidity. “You’re lucky I love you,” he mumbled.

That shut Sylvain up, but made everyone else confused as to what he said.

“What was that, Felix?” Dedue asked. “I could not hear you.”

Felix didn’t bother repeating himself, so the others just let it slide.

“I think Ashe and Dedue might get married first,” Mercedes spoke up.

“Ah, really?” Ashe blushed. “Why’s that?”

“Because you already act married,” Annette responded instead of Mercedes. “You’ve told us before that some customers you get even think you are. It’s kinda cute.”

Dedue nodded thoughtfully, not saying anything. He did wonder if he and Ashe would be most likely to get married first, not having thought of it before. He enjoyed the thought of marrying him.

\--

As time went on and conversations went on, it came time for the friends to all go their separate ways. All were left to ponder the conversation they had earlier. Ingrid thought of it the most. How Ashe seemed flustered by the talk of marriage and how Dedue seemed to get lost in thought at the idea. It was cute how they reacted, she thought.

Then she had another idea about their reactions.

  
  


\--

  
  


**Today, 11:26 PM**

** _strong independent woman _ ** **added ** ** _Blue King, Sweet as pie, book lesbian, Sword Collector, chaotic bi, fish fear me,_ ** ** and ** ** _Schemin’_ **

** _strong independent woman _ ** **named the chat ** ** _Gay Theory_ **

fish fear me: ingrid what is this

book lesbian: why are ashe and dedue not in this?

strong independent woman: don’t add them i’ll fill you all in

strong independent woman: ok so first of all, byleth, today at the coffee shop we talked about marriage and who will get married first

strong independent woman: and when mercedes said she thought it would be ashe and dedue i noticed how they reacted

strong independent woman: ashe was really flustered and dedue got kinda lost in thought

strong independent woman: so my theory here is

strong independent woman: i think one of them is gonna propose soon

chaotic bi: wow

chaotic bi: you must have thought a lot about this

Schemin’: nice of you to include me in this

strong independent woman: of course

strong independent woman: you were there for the conversation

strong independent woman: plus your tactics could help me figure something else out

Schemin’: and whats that?

strong independent woman: i wanna figure out which one of them is gonna propose

Blue King: This sounds very interesting

Sweet as pie: Are you sure it’s okay for us to get in their personal life like this?

fish fear me: feels like i should probably help since im the only married one here

chaotic bi: which one of you proposed anyway? you or seteth?

fish fear me: seteth did

strong independent woman: how did he act before he did it? and how did it go?

fish fear me: this may be a bit long

fish fear me: we had planned for a while to go to a fancy restaurant on a date. flayn was sleeping over to a friends house that night. seteth seemed kinda nervous and restless when we went but i just thought he was worried about flayn. the dinner went well and was really nice. then we went on a walk through a park close to the restaurant and he proposed there

Sweet as pie: That’s really cute!

chaotic bi: that sounds like it was really romantic

fish fear me: it was

book lesbian: anything he did before that that feels like an obivous hint he was gonna do it?

fish fear me: well he asked what my favorite gemstone was and measured my ring size

fish fear me: but he also got flayns ring size so i didnt think too much of it

fish fear me: i also heard from a few of our mutual friends that they ran into him at jewelry shops

Sword Collector: So ring size and jewelry shops. Sounds kinda obvious

Sweet as pie: I guess it wouldn’t be as obvious when you don’t expect it

book lesbian: yeah! if you didnt know someone was going to propose you probably wouldnt pay much attention to this

strong independent woman: so thats what we need to focus on with dedue and ashe

chaotic bi: i have an idea to make this a bit more fun

Sword Collector: Oh no

chaotic bi: lets bet on who we think is gonna propose

chaotic bi: losing team has to buy winning team a meal

Schemin’: that actually sounds fun

Blue King: I agree

strong independent woman: you know what? lets do it

strong independent woman: i think dedue will

Sword Collector: Me too

Blue King: I also think it will be Dedue

Schemin’: really? i think ashe is gonna do it

Sweet as pie: To me it seems Ashe is more likely to propose

book lesbian: i agree with mercie!

book lesbian: not just cause shes my gf though i was thinking ashe anyway!

chaotic bi: i gotta agree with you guys. ashe is definitely gonna propose

fish fear me: i think it’ll be dedue 

strong independent woman: alright so betting on dedue proposing is: me, felix, dimitri, and byleth

strong independent woman: and betting on ashe proposing is claude, mercedes, annette, and sylvain

strong independent woman: im surprised we got an even split

Sword Collector: So now what?

chaotic bi: i guess we just observe them and wait for one of them to propose

fish fear me: im gonna go to bed

Blue King: Goodnight

book lesbian: night!

Schemin’: gn

  
  


\---

  
  
  


**Blue Best Color Gang**

**Today, 1:17 PM**

_ fish fear me _ sent a photo

fish fear me: should i buy these costumes for me seteth and flayn

Blue King: Minecraft mobs?

fish fear me: look at the creeper costume flayn will look so cute

fish fear me: seteth can be the zombie and i can be the enderman

pocket-sized chef: i think that would be really cool!

Sword Collector: Aren’t you at work Ashe?

pocket-sized chef: oh im on a break! dedue is still at work though

book lesbian: me and mercie invited them to hang out for some fresh air!

Sweet as pie: Dedue declined our offer so he could stay and watch the restaurant. He’s so good with his work

Sweet as pie: Anyway, I think you should get those costumes Byleth. They’d be cute!

fish fear me: thank you for your input everyone i will now buy the costumes

-

“Hey Ashe, me and Annie want to check out that jewelry store over there. You don’t have to come in with us.”

Ashe looked at the jewelry store Mercedes pointed out. It looked really fancy and popular. He could almost see the shine from all the gemstones from where they stood across the street.

“I think I’ll go in with you,” he said. “It looks nice. I might even find something that intrigues me. Or… something for Dedue.”

“Something for Dedue?” Annette questioned.

“Ah, well… Since he stayed at the restaurant, it might be nice to get him something. Although if it’s expensive I’ll have to save it for the future…”

Mercedes giggled. “Are you planning something?” She half joked.

“No. Well… not exactly? It’s just, in the future… and the conversation we had the other day… I guess I wanna be prepared?” He looked slightly embarrassed. “Don’t tell the others. I don’t want them getting any ideas or questioning me.”

  
  


After leaving the store a while later, Ashe hadn’t bought anything, but there were a few items that really caught his eye that he would be sure to look at during a later date.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Are you sure you’re fine to go without me? You’ll just be third-wheeling them the entire time.”

Dedue was putting on his jacket as he spoke. “I’ll be fine, Ashe. Dimitri asked me to go with him and Claude and I am happy to support him. Besides,” he zipped up his jacket and stepped just a bit closer to Ashe, “I know you really want to finish your new book. You’ve been telling me about it all week. And I will be extremely happy to hear you talk about it when I return.”

They exchanged a quick kiss before Dedue headed out to meet with Dimitri and Claude. After he was gone, Ashe curled up on the couch with his book.

-

Dimitri, Claude, and Dedue decided to look at Halloween costumes as one of the things they did. Dedue stayed mostly silent unless spoken to, as he did not want to intrude on any thoughts the other two might be having.

“I think this would be a good costume for you,” Claude said as he showed Dimitri a king costume.

“Really?” Dimitri was amused. “And what would you be? My queen?” He laughed before adding “I’m just joking.”

Claude chuckled. “I’d gladly be your queen any day.”

Dimitri quickly turned his head to hide the blush on his face, staring blankly at the first costume he saw. Dedue looked to see where his eyes landed out of curiosity. Coincidentally, he was staring at one of those silly couple costumes. It was a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of mustard.

Claude must’ve noticed too. “Imagine you and Ashe in that,” He said to Dedue.

Dimitri managed to clear his mind before adding to Claude’s thought. “Are you and Ashe going to wear costumes? You planned the party but you said costumes are optional.”

“I’m not sure. I recall Ashe saying he has something planned, but he has kept it a surprise. Knowing him it will be something amazing, no doubt. Hmm… Maybe I should also prepare a surprise…”

Claude and Dimitri looked at each other, not quite knowing what any of that could mean, but they both thought it would be evidence towards their sides of the bet, despite being on opposite sides.

Dedue cleared his throat. “My apologies. I seemed to have rambled on. Please, pay it no mind.”

“Might you happen to still be thinking of our conversation at the coffee shop last week?” Dimitri inquired.

“It appears you can see right through me, Dimitri. I just seem to be thinking of what the future may hold for me and him.”

“No worries, my friend.” He smiled at him. “Have you any concerns you may come to me, although I must admit I am not very good at matters of love.”

“I’d be glad to help you out too,” Claude added. “I’ve got just about the same amount of experience as this lovely man here, but I’m better at winging it.”

Dedue nodded at them. “Thank you.”

  
  


\---

  
  


“Maybe we should’ve made a list of what we need to buy,” Ashe said as he stared at the rows and rows of Halloween candy and decorations.

“I suppose we should just find the types of candies and snacks that our friends enjoy.” Dedue picked up a box of mini chocolate bars. “Things like this may also be good.”

They wandered around the store for a while, taking bags of candy they knew the others liked and putting it in their cart. They knew they would have too much but they decided they could use some for trick-or-treaters and some leftover for a candy bowl at their restaurant.

As they were about to go pay for their items, Ashe picked up a Halloween face paint kit and showed it to Dedue.

“We could use this since we don’t have any costumes. Oh, and we can let everyone else use it too if they want!”

Dedue agreed and Ashe put it in the cart. Then, he thought for a moment.

“You say we do not have costumes. What is the surprise you mentioned then? I had assumed it was a costume for the party.”

“Ah, well… I can’t tell you what it is just yet, or else it won’t be a surprise anymore. It should be ready in a few days. The day before Halloween, probably.”

Dedue didn’t question him any more as they paid for everything.

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Claude and Ashe sat across from each other at the coffee shop. They didn’t usually meet up without the others, but Claude asked for Ashe’s help with something.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” Ashe asked after Claude thanked him for coming.

“I know Dimitri has a crush on me. He’s not very good at hiding it,” He spoke with no hesitation. “I like him too. Like, a lot. But… I either want him to confess to me or I want to confess to him in a really romantic way. What should I do?”

Ashe couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “I’m sorry for laughing, but it really is funny.” He caught his breath before continuing. “Dimitri was the one who pushed Dedue to confess to me all those years ago, and now I’m helping you confess to Dimitri.”

“Really?” Claude seemed genuinely surprised. “Dimitri helped get you two together? How did he do it? Maybe if I copy his idea he’ll get the hint.”

“Hmm… I’ll explain it the best I can.” He cleared his throat to prepare himself for all the talking. “After he found out we liked each other he kept trying to get us alone together, but that didn’t work since we spent lots of time together anyway. Eventually Dimitri helped Dedue write a note to make it easier for him to confess, then he had Dedue invite me out to a movie so he could give me the note. I still don’t know if I imagined it or not, but during the movie it felt like he was making sure we were always slightly touching. Like, our arms were pressed together or his hand was extremely close to mine or our knees touched.” He was blushing now. 

“Anyway, after the movie before we left he gave me the note and said not to read it until I got home. I was confused but it was a Sunday evening so I knew I’d be able to question him in person the next day if I needed to after reading it.”

“I wonder if Dimitri told him to tell you to wait until you weren’t with him to read it or if he was just too nervous,” Claude thought out loud. “Ah, sorry. Please, continue.”

Ashe cleared his throat once again. “So, after I got home I kinda delayed reading the note because I was worried, but once I finally read it I… may have cried because I was so happy.” He laughed a bit at his past self. “I texted him the next morning and told him to meet me before we went to school and, well, the rest is history, I guess.”

“That’s actually really cute. Maybe… I could invite him out the day before the Halloween party. That way I’ll be able to show off my new boyfriend to everyone,” he said with a grin. “Could you help me with a note for him?”

“Of course. There’s only a few days left until then and I wouldn’t want you to have to delay it by worrying about the note.”

Claude looked ecstatic. “Thank you so much, Ashe. I’ll be sure to get you an amazing wedding gift.”

Ashe laughed nervously. “Wedding gift?” He stuttered. “Me and Dedue aren’t engaged.”

“Right, yeah. Actually… I wanted to ask you about something regarding that… Is one of you gonna propose soon?”

“I… Uh…” Ashe was at a loss for words. “W-Well, if Dedue was going to propose, I wouldn’t know, would I?”

“Right, right, of course.” Claude seemed to not believe it.

  
  


\---

  
  


**Blue Best Color Gang**

**Today, 9:07 AM**

Large chef: Good morning everyone.

pocket-sized chef: happy halloween!

fish fear me: good morning and happy halloween to you too

strong independent woman: happy halloween! cant wait for the party tonight!

Sword Collector: You’re all up too early

chaotic bi: the earlier you wake up the more time you can spend with me ;)

Sword Collector: I’m going back to bed

chaotic bi: :(

Sweet as pie: The party is at 6 right?

Large chef: That is correct.

Blue King: I would like to let you all know that I have a small announcement to make at the party

book lesbian: you cant tell us now?

Blue King: It feels more appropriate to say in person

pocket-sized chef: i also have an announcement to make at the party!

pocket-sized chef: and now im going to put my phone away so you cant pressure me into telling you now!

strong independent woman: well, see you then i guess

  
  


**Gay Theory**

**Today, 9:19 AM**

strong independent woman: do you think one of them actually proposed?

fish fear me: thats the obvious solution

Schemin’: woah woah what are you talking about?

strong independent woman: oh i always forget youre not in the other chat

Blue King: After I mentioned I have an announcement to make later Ashe said he also has one

Schemin’: oh shit

Sword Collector: I doubt he’d just so casually mention it if it was about them getting engaged

book lesbian: its easier to say things over text though

chaotic bi: we should start planning where we want to be taken for food if we win

chaotic bi: anyone wanna change who theyre betting on?

strong independent woman: nah i still think itll be dedue

Sword Collector: Me too

fish fear me: same here

Sweet as pie: Me and Annie still think Ashe

Schemin’: same

Blue King: I have not changed my mind

chaotic bi: ok so i guess no one

chaotic bi: ill see you all at the party

strong independent woman: see ya

fish fear me: i cant wait for you guys to see the costumes i got

\--

First to arrive at the party was Ingrid. She didn’t wear a costume but she had an angel halo headband. She complimented the cute ghost painted on Ashe’s face and the pumpkin on Dedue’s.

Next came Annette and Mercedes. Annette was dressed as Mario and Mercedes as Princess Peach. When asked by Ashe how they decided who would be who, Annete responded by saying Mercedes is her princess.

Soon after, Byleth, Seteth, and Flayn arrived, wearing the minecraft costumes Byleth had shown them before. Flayn hugged everyone that was there, not getting many chances to see them usually due to her school schedule and their work schedules. Seteth complimented the decorations, mentioning they were much neater than the ones he tried to put up at home.

Then, Sylvain and Felix. Felix, although holding Sylvain’s hand, had a murderous look in his eyes. Sylvain made him wear cat ears. They were both wearing cat ears. Ingrid had to hold back a laugh. Felix made a remark saying she should be wearing devil horns instead of a halo. Flayn, however, complimented the cat ears and said they looked cute, and not even Felix could be mad at her.

Lastly came Dimitri and Claude. They wore no costumes but instead wore Halloween colors. They were matching, somewhat, which surprised the others. Except Ashe, of course. And how fitting of Dimitri to be the last to arrive when everyone was waiting for his announcement.

Everyone was chatting with everyone happily. Flayn and Annette already managed to grab some candy. The room was lively.

Then, Sylvain.

“So Dimitri, are you gonna make that announcement or do we have to wait?”

Everyone stopped talking, all remembering at once about the announcement Dimitri mentioned.

Dimitri took a step back, embarrassed by all the sudden attention.

“Ah, well…” He glanced over at Claude, who gave him a nod, before continuing. “I guess I shall get straight to the point. Me and Claude are dating.”

There was silence, and then there was an uproar. Even Flayn and Seteth, who had only heard little bits of Dimitri’s crush through Byleth, were overjoyed. Ashe smiled brightly, a proud wingman in Dimitri’s love life to repay him back for being his wingman.

Amidst the uproar, Claude grabbed Dimitri’s hand and squeezed it as a subtle way to show his affection in case anyone didn’t believe it. Of course, everyone did believe it.

Once everyone calmed down they turned to Dedue and Ashe, who happened to be standing at the back of the crowd.

“And what about your announcement, Ashe?” Annette asked.

“That’ll be announced later, but I promise I won’t forget,” he said with a grin.

Despite the pleads, he refused to say what it was now. Eventually, everyone gave up trying to get him to say it.

The party went on for a long time. Everyone had so much fun that they almost didn’t want it to end. When Flayn was not eating candy, she convinced someone to let her paint their face. She drew a cat on Felix, a star on Ingrid, and a heart on Mercedes.

Four hours quickly went by and it was now 10 o’clock. Byleth was the first to mention leaving, since Flayn isn’t used to being out very late.

That, of course, is when it was mentioned again.

“Ashe, will you please tell us your announcement now?” Sylvain pleaded desperately.

“Yes, please tell us! I don’t want to miss it!” Flayn agreed.

Ashe agreed to tell them now and everyone became silent as he and Dedue stood in front of them. It was now that everyone seemed to notice how attached they were throughout the entire party, and how they seemed to have hidden their hands during it as well.

Dedue and Ashe looked at each other for a moment before nodding and facing the group again.

There were no words as Ashe held out Dedue’s hand to reveal the ring on his finger.

The party guests stood in shock, brains taking a few seconds to register the ring. Such a beautiful ring. On Dedue’s finger. An Engagement ring. Ashe proposed to Dedue.

It clicked, and everyone went absolutely  _ apeshit _ . What was only a get-together with a few friends now sounded like a concert with thousands of people in the audience, and Ashe and Dedue were the main performance.

Ingrid, Byleth, Dimitri, and Felix soon all seemed to realize they lost the bet. Of course they were happy for their friends but now the others would be bragging about their victory for days. At least, Sylvain would be.

Claude, Mercedes, Annette, and Sylvain all cheered more when they realized they won the bet. They were excited for free food, but of course at the moment they had to focus on Ashe and Dedue.

Eventually, somehow, it calmed down, and everyone was just left to stare. Sure, they had expected this, but to actually see it was something else entirely.

“I’m so happy for the two of you!” Flayn broke the silence. “Can… Can I go to your wedding?”

“Of course. You will all be invited when the time comes,” Dedue responded.

“We still have to announce it to everyone else. I’m thinking of just posting it on Twitter and seeing how everyone reacts,” Ashe laughed.

Byleth, Seteth, and Flayn soon left after congratulating the couple and Flayn asking a few more questions, and soon the other guests began to leave too.

“Congratulations on your relationship once again,” Dedue said to Claude and Dimitri, who happened to be the last ones to leave.

“And congratulations to you two on your engagement,” Claude said with a smile. “I’m glad I chose team Ashe.”

“Team Ashe?” Ashe was confused.

Claude laughed awkwardly. “Brought that upon myself, huh? We kind of, maybe, made a bet on who was gonna propose. All of us. Me, Sylvain, Annette, and Mercedes said it would be you, Ashe. The others lost.”

Ashe couldn’t help but laugh and even Dedue had to chuckle. To think their friends had bet on which one of them would propose to the other. It wasn’t actually that surprising if they thought about it too long.

  
  


The next morning, Ashe took a picture of him holding Dedue’s hand with the ring at the centre of the photo. He then posted it with the caption “Dedue said yes <3” and fell back asleep. When he woke up again later, he and Dedue happily read all the excited congratulations and keyboard smashes from their friends.

  
  


\----

  
  


_ Ashe and Dedue walked through the park, hand in hand, cherishing the site of all the leaves changing colors and the Autumn flowers blooming. The sun setting made the sky a beautiful array of yellows, pinks, and blues. The park was empty aside from the two of them which made it feel all the more magical. _

_ They stopped walking to take some time to truly appreciate the sights before them. The sky reflected in the lake, the tree branches swaying in the wind, the ducks lazily swimming and lying on land. It was a perfect moment. _

_ Ashe turned to face Dedue. His face was practically glowing in the light. Ashe could’ve stared at him for hours and hours without ever getting bored of him. _

_ And that’s why he decided now was a perfect time. _

_ “Dedue,” he started as Dedue now turned to look at him. “You’re breathtaking. I almost lost my train of thought just by looking at you.” _

_ Ashe took both of Dedue’s hands in his own, staring directly into his eyes. _

_ “I’ve been thinking about the future a lot these past couple weeks. I know you have too. I’ve been thinking about what the future holds for us together. We’ve already done so much together, and we’re both young and have so much time ahead of us, but I want to guarantee one thing for my future. For both of our futures.” _

_ Ashe was now reaching into his pocket. Dedue didn’t notice, too flustered to do anything but look into Ashe’s eyes. _

_ “Dedue, you’re perfect. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. I… I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” _

_ Before Dedue even knew it, Ashe was on one knee and holding out a ring. _

_ “Will you marry me?” _

_ Dedue’s face was probably the reddest it’s ever been as his brain processed what was happening. It didn’t take long for him to reply, though. _

_ “Of course,” he said quietly, almost afraid that if he was too loud he would break the magical atmosphere. “Of course I’ll marry you.” _

_ Ashe stood up and put the ring on Dedue’s finger. It was beautiful. _

_ The two of them kissed. It was such a soft kiss that it almost didn’t feel real. When they pulled apart they both had such endearing smiles on their faces. _

_ “I love you so much,” Dedue whispered. _

_ “I love you too, Dedue.” _

_ They stayed at the park until the sun had fully set, then they went back home. They enjoyed each other's company in silence until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. And of course, they dreamed of their shared future. _

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this. its been a while since ive written so much but this was so much fun to write. please leave any feedback or suggestions for future fics. i am completely willing to write more about this au with any of the couples. im also tempted to write the wedding so let me know if you want that. thanks for reading.
> 
> also, if you want, comment who you thought was going to propose as you read the story. itd be interesting to see.
> 
> also also follow me on twitter @fl00fyfl0wer if you want


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